Something Blue
by ringanybells
Summary: Shawn's ready to propose to Juliet, but he decides to come clean about his secret first. What happens when Juliet doesn't take being lied to well. Is Shawn's proposal doomed before he even pops the question? post STASitD, Shules.


Shawn stared at his reflection in the one-way mirror. He could _sense_ Lassiter and Chief Vick on the other side, watching him. Just like he _knew_ that they had taken Gus into the second interrogation room. And Juliet, she was sitting in the Chief's office, waiting for her partner and her boss to return.

Shawn moved his gaze off of the two figures he couldn't really see on the other side of the glass and stared off into space. How had things gotten so messed up? For once in his life, things had been going according to plan, for the first time in his life, he'd had a plan. Psych was going on eight years, going strong, still 100% solve rate. Lassiter and he had become, if not friends, then at least two men who could respect each other and occupy the same space without threat of violence. He and his father had been doing well, getting together at least once a week, with no mention of police work or cases. And Juliet? Well they had been approaching their 4 year anniversary, and he had been planning that perfect moment when he handed her a ring. And then everything had just gone horribly and completely wrong, and the plan had fallen to pieces. He had to figure out where he'd gone wrong, so he could fix it.

_It had taken four years for the two of them to finally stop their dance and go on their first date. Shawn's bullet wound and subsequent kidnapping had been the last straw for Juliet. She'd come by the Psych office after Gus had left. All the emotions that had built up while Shawn was missing, when Shawn had said those three words, they just came tumbling out. It hadn't been in the sweet manner that she'd used after their meeting with Mr. Yang. No, this time it had been all tears and anger. "How could you do that to me, Shawn? I was worried sick about you. Finding that blood, the cryptic text messages, and then you were just missing. And just when I was starting to give up hope, when I was starting to think I might never see you again, you call. You say all those beautiful things and I was just so happy to hear your voice. And those words were everything I've wanted to hear since that night at the drive-in, since that first day in the diner, and then you say it. But none of that matters because you called me Abigail. None of it was real for you. But it meant something to me, Shawn. Hearing her name broke my heart." She'd petered off at the end, spent by all the emotion her words had carried. _

_In his defense, Shawn did look ashamed. He'd sat there, his injured arm cradled to his chest, just listening to her speak. He'd looked away before responding. "Saying it broke mine." Juliet froze at hearing his hushed voice. His eyes swiveled back to hers, "Just like it broke my heart seeing you with Luntz and pretending to date Raj. I thought maybe if I found someone else, then maybe watching you be with those other guys would be less painful. But it didn't matter, it doesn't matter. I don't love Abigail, I think I tried to make myself believe that there was someone else out there for me. But it was only because you just wouldn't admit it. But, like I said, it doesn't matter. I'm tired of pretending. I'd rather just wait it out alone than try to live a lie."_

_"Shawn, what are you saying?" Juliet managed to keep the hope out of her voice, but it shone in her eyes. Shawn took a step forward._

_"I'm saying, Detective Juliet O'Hara, that I'm in love with you. And if I'm destined to play Duckie to your Andie, then well, I guess that's fine with me. As long as you know I'm here."_

_His admission that he was willing to pine for her, to wait for her, touched her. So she did the only thing she could think of, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him, total reckless abandon. His somewhat subdued response had caused her to pull back however, "Shawn, what is it, what's wrong?"_

_Shawn had taken a minute to get his breathing under control, to allow the white light to fade from his vision, before responding. "Believe me, when I say I am all for the climatic makeout scene, but um…do you think maybe you could tone it down just a tad? This is something I really want to remember, and I'll have trouble doing that if I pass out midway through because of the pain." The characteristic sarcasm had been present in his voice, masking the pain she could see written on his face. She immediately felt bad for forgetting about his injury. When she kissed him the second time, she was much gentler._

_Despite Shawn's lack of familiarity with relationships, being with Jules was surprisingly easy. They just fit. Nothing really seemed to change between them, even though everything had. It took Gus all of ten minutes to figure out what had happened when he showed up half an hour after their conversation. He was thrilled for his two friends. Juliet, with Shawn's permission and approval, invited Henry over for dinner two weeks after their first date. He was happy someone so smart and classy could stand his son. After a few months, they informed Chief Vick, she shared Gus's enthusiasm, but cautioned the two about the importance of a working environment. After a year, Juliet finally sat Lassiter down to tell him. He'd known almost all along, and had threatened Shawn quite clearly some time ago; the two men had never mentioned that conversation to Jules. After telling her partner, Jules and Shawn had stopped being covert, and openly shown their affection. Everyone at the station was more surprised they'd managed to keep it a secret for so long than it happening. _

_It had been a great four years, not without its rough spots, but still wonderful. They'd managed to find a balance in their lives that worked, and neither one could imagine being happier. Shawn was sitting behind his desk when Gus walked in. He'd called his best friend in for a very important conversation. "What's up, Shawn? It's Saturday, why are we at the office?"_

_"Because Jules is at our place doing some kind of spring cleaning ritual or something. When she pulled out the duster and the mop bucket, I got the hell out of dodge." Shawn looked up at his best friend. Gus knew him better than anyone, period. There was no one else in the world Shawn trusted for advice, knowing he'd get the complete truth, no sugar coating and no hell fire. He was also the one person who'd be most affected by the plans currently running through Shawn's head. So before Shawn acted on them, because it wasn't just his ass on the line, he had to talk to Gus. He'd matured quite a bit in the last few years. "We need to talk, buddy."_

_Gus recognized the tone of Shawn's voice and the serious look in his eyes. He sat in the chair opposite Shawn's. "Alright, what's up?"_

_Shawn took a deep breath. "I want to propose to Juliet." _

_A huge smile spread across Gus's face at the words. He was wondering how much longer Shawn would try to push this off. "Shawn, man, that's great." But Shawn did not look to be sharing his happiness. "It is great, right?"_

_Shawn did a double take. "Of course it's great man. I love her, I can't imagine living without her. I've been wanting to do it for a long time now."_

_"What stopped you?" There was a slight hesitation in Gus's voice. He knew his best friend. There were few times in Shawn's life when he actually listened to that little voice that told him to wait. He had always been a 'fly by the seat of your pants' kind of guy, never a 'think things through' guy. Whatever had stopped him from asking Jules to elope to Vegas a year and a half ago must be big._

_Shawn looked up and caught Gus's eye. "I hate lying to her." Gus was confused. Shawn waved his arms, a gesture encompassing all of the Psych office. "How can I ask her to marry me when I'm keeping this from her? It just wouldn't feel right."_

_Gus got it. And he understood Shawn's problem. He and Henry had discussed it a few years back, after Shawn and Jules had gone public. What was Shawn going to do about being a 'psychic?' Theoretically, he could keep up the act forever, or at least until he felt like retiring. There was no real reason to ever come clean with the truth, to the police at least. It would be a different story when Shawn had to lie to his girlfriend. But Shawn had kept up the façade this long. Now, though, it seemed to be too much. "Shawn, listen to me, I have your back. No matter what, I'm behind you, so is your dad. If you want to come clean with Jules, then you should, I'm fully behind that. And you I know I love her too, right?" Gus watched as Shawn nodded. "Good, just before you do anything, make sure you know what you're doing, okay? I don't want either of you getting hurt. And I don't want you winding up in jail." _

_Shawn nodded. He understood what Gus was saying. And in the end, Gus had an out. Shawn had known from the beginning, if he was going down, he wouldn't let Gus fall too. So in the end, if Shawn came clean, and Juliet, for whatever reason, decided to expose him, he would be the one to suffer. He'd thought long and hard about this decision. "I know I love her, Gus. I know that she's stuck by me through ridiculous cases, and gunshot wounds, and every crazy stunt I've pulled in the last couple years. She's almost as crazy as you. And I know that every time I have to excuse my 'talents' by saying 'I'm psychic', it hurts a little more. It's not fair to keep lying to her."_

_Gus was proud of his friend's maturity, but he knew he had to be the voice of reason here. "What if she doesn't take it well?" He hated even thinking it. He didn't want to believe Juliet would ever hurt Shawn by turning him in, but he needed to make sure Shawn thought this through._

_Shawn was momentarily at a loss for words. He tried to picture it. He thought back over the years, to the times she had been angry at him. He remembered every time she had allowed herself to be cop first and believer second, like when she was undercover on the derby team and had refused to heed his warnings about the warehouse, or like when she had brushed off his dinosaur theory in favor of Lassie's 'hot streak'. But even in those situations, she had come round. Revealing his secret didn't change _what_ he did, it just changed how he did it. Would it really be that big a difference if he revealed his psychic episodes were really just hyper observancy, a photographic memory, and really good deductive skills? "I don't know, Gus. But Lois Lane accepted Superman, right? It's practically the same situation."_

_Gus rolled his eyes, taking a small amount of relief that Shawn had set aside his seriousness in favor of his usual style. "Shawn, this isn't a comic book. And you're about to tell a girl you're not a freak of nature. It's a totally different situation."_

_Shawn thought for a second, "Nope, not seeing it."_

_For Shawn, the decision was that easy. Gus prayed for a second that everything would work out right, before responding in his normal 'exasperated to a point only Shawn can push you to' way, "whatever."_

_Shawn smiled. He had Gus on his side, he'd be fine. The two of them had been together for over three decades, and in that time he had put together more hair brained schemes than either of them cared to remember. They'd gotten through all of them, maybe a scar or two from his more ridiculous ones, but everything always worked out. If Shawn had been able to make the SBPD believe he was psychic for eight years, he should have no problem coming clean. That settled, Shawn began to plan. He had to figure out the best way to tell Jules the truth, because while he was pretty sure she'd accept the truth, he still knew it would hurt her to know he'd been lying. He also had a marriage proposal to plan._

_It took Shawn the better part of two weeks to figure everything out, mostly because he had to solve a triple homicide during that time as well and also because he couldn't seem to find the right ring. Once he had though, he couldn't have been more excited. He was going to have a candlelight dinner in the Psych office, a technique he used quite frequently with Jules, it was a reminder of his early attempts to woo her. He'd sit her down and tell her. Then he'd give her a week before popping the question. _

_The scene was set, candles lit, wine chilling, dinner prepared. Shawn sat, waiting for Juliet to appear. She had insisted on being allowed to run home and change after work. When she finally walked in, Shawn moved to the door to greet her. He pushed her chair in behind her and then sat opposite her. They chatted a few minutes about nothing in particular, just enjoying each other's company. Juliet waited until after Shawn had served the main course before calling him out. "Alright, Shawn, what's this all about?"_

_Shawn looked guilty for all of two seconds before he strengthened his resolve and began. "Did I ever tell you about the day I met Lassiter?"_

_Juliet was lost, there had to be more to this elaborate dinner than the story of her boyfriend meeting her partner. She knew Shawn would get to the point eventually. "It was the McCallum kidnapping, right? No, I've never heard that particular story."_

_Shawn took a deep breath and told the story. "Before I 'officially' worked for the department, I used to call in tips all the time, dozens of them. There'd been a string of stereo store robberies and I figured out who was behind them while watching the news, so I called. I came in to the station the next day and Lassie had me brought back to the interrogation room. He was under the impression that I had been an accomplice in the burglaries. He'd pulled out my record and with the arrest and my colorful job history; I can see where I might have looked like less than a model citizen. He didn't want to believe that I had solved the case by simply watching the news; that I had simply read the man's guilt. He decided arresting me would make me talk, confess to being an accomplice. His partner at the time told me all I had to do was give them a plausible explanation for why I knew what I knew. I had seen the crystals and the dream catcher on Sergeant Allen's wall, so I told them I was psychic. I backed it up with asking McNabb when his wedding was, revealing Lassie and his partner were sleeping together, and telling him where to find evidence on a vandal I had met in the lobby."_

_Juliet was confused. She just watched Shawn. "Shawn, what are you saying?"_

_"I'm saying I'm not psychic, Jules. I never have been. I said it purely to get out of being arrested. On my way out of the station, Vick handed me the McCallum file and told me if she found out I was lying she'd charge me with obstruction of justice. That case just kind of sealed everything. It was perfect. It was the kind of job I could never master because no two cases would ever be the same, there'd always be something to keep me interested."_

_Jules was absent mindedly nodding her head, but her eyes were out of focus, like she was trying to put all the pieces of the puzzle back into place. He could see she wasn't completely convinced. "How do you do it then? How have you solved all these cases if you're not psychic?"_

_He was glad she was at least willing to hear him out. "My father started training me to be a cop on my third birthday. It started light, he'd have me do puzzles and memory strengthening exercises, not that I needed them." On her confused look, he explained, "I have a photographic memory. Add to that the kind of things my father taught me…well it kind of makes for one hell of a detective. He taught me how to shoot, how to lose a tail, the best ways to make it through a stake out. He helped me hone my senses and to see things that everyone else missed. He made sure I could read guilt, tell when a person was lying, all the police tricks. And if everything hadn't fallen apart between my parents, I would have gone into the academy."_

_Juliet was trying to take it all in. "What do you mean?"_

_"Remember when I told you I took the detective test at 15? I wasn't kidding. The day I got the test results is the day they told me they were separating. Because of all the training, my dad and I didn't have the best relationship to begin with, so the blame kind of landed on him. I had been set on being a cop to make him proud, but knowing it was over between my parents, I gave up caring. A few years later he arrested me and it all became a moot point. As soon as I got out of high school, I took off. The only problem was that I couldn't unlearn the things he taught me. While I was on the road, I ignored it all, or used it to my advantage, to get dates or jobs or out of trouble. Psych just seemed like the best use of my talents, plus it allowed me to see more of Gus, who refused to travel around with me. My dad and I started to fix things too, and then there was you. I never thought that first day in interrogation that I'd be doing this eight years later."_

_"So it's all been a lie?"_

_"No, Jules, not a lie, just not what it seems. Everything I've 'divined' has been real, I just didn't have a psychic vision to see it. Most of it I just observed, some of it I overheard, at times I put two and two together, and a lot of it was pure luck. The day we met? I saw the picture of you parents in your purse. There was cat hair on your left shoe and the sleeve of your vest. Knowing about you being top of your class was a bit luck mixed with trying to flirt."_

_Juliet was quiet, trying to process everything. "Why, Shawn?"_

_Confusion colored his tone, "Why what?"_

_"Why have you been lying all this time?"_

_"I told you Jules, in the beginning it was to save my own ass. And then it was fun, you know? Take the case, solve the puzzle, catch the bad guy."_

_"And now?"_

_"Now? Now it's what I do."_

_"Why did you start in the first place, calling in the tips? If you hated your father so much and didn't want to be a cop, why call in the tips?"_

_He thought for a moment. He'd never really thought about that before. He'd always called in the tips. After leaving his father's house at eighteen, anywhere he went on the road. If he _saw_ the answer, he'd tell. It happened less frequently on the road because he didn't really watch a whole lot of news, but there'd been a few cases across the country. And when he'd moved back to Santa Barbara, it was just the natural thing for him to do. "I don't know. It's never been something I thought about before. I would just do it." He let out a low chuckle. "Guess while my dad was teaching me how to escape from the trunk and how to count hats, he also taught me some ethics. Catching the bad guy just comes naturally."_

_"Who knows, besides Henry, I mean. Who else knows you've been lying all this time?"_

_Shawn could hear the pain in her voice. He considered briefly leaving Gus out of this, but knew if he didn't come clean now, with everything, then there had been no point in coming clean at all. "Gus knows, he's known from the beginning. When this all started he wanted nothing to do with it, he didn't believe I could solve cases that the police couldn't. But he's always had trouble saying no to me, so I was able to convince him to tag along. After awhile, he didn't need the convincing, it just became what we did. And Dad was against this in the beginning too. When he was on the force, the only thing he hated more than private detectives was psychics. But when he saw how well I did this, when he realized this was the closest to having me on the force he was ever going to get, he accepted it. To an extent anyway, for a man who wanted me on the force, he got pretty squeamish about me being in harm's way all the time."_

_He watched Juliet. She was just staring off into space. "Jules, I never wanted to lie to you. It just kind of happened. And I've hated having to do it. I just wasn't ready to give it all up. It's weird; I've spent my life not putting down roots so that I could be free to do whatever I wanted. But when it came to giving this up, I didn't want to lose it, any of it. Being partners with Gus, being able to make my dad proud, helping people, working with Lassie, being with you; I don't want to lose any of it."_

_"Is there anything else?" The pain in her voice was controlled._

_"Aaanything else?" Shawn was caught off guard by Juliet's change in attitude._

_"Is there anything else you haven't been honest about?"_

_Shawn thought for a minute, so that Juliet would understand that he was seriously considering her question. "Yes, there is one other thing." He gave her a second for dramatic effect, "Lego never wanted to sponsor me." When the smile crossed her face, he allowed one of his own to show. "Are you okay?"_

_"Look, Shawn, I'm not okay with you lying to me. But I get why you did it. And honestly, I'm glad that you love Psych so much. There was a time when I was afraid you'd run off again, Gus had told me how you spent so much time on the road. It's one of the reasons I said no in the beginning, I didn't want to get attached just to have you run off. I understand why you had to keep up the charade. Just promise me something?"_

_There was no hesitation, "Anything, Jules."_

_"Don't ever lie to me again, Shawn. I mean it. If you lie to me like this again, I'll…I'll…" She trailed off, not sure what kind of threat to issue._

_Shawn didn't need one though. He knew what she'd do if he ever lied to her again. But it didn't matter, because he didn't plan on doing it, "Never, Juliet, from now, nothing but honesty. For instance, I didn't actually cook any of this. Dad did. When I told him I was going to tell you the truth, he volunteered, said he wanted my last meal to be something edible." The smile she gave him was reassuring. She knew the truth and she was okay with it. And Shawn was pretty sure, that in a week, when he asked her, she'd say yes to marrying him._

But the next week hadn't gone smoothly at all. Juliet had seemed fine with everything the next few days, so Shawn had gone about setting up his big romantic night. He made sure to avoid her questions, he wanted to keep his word about no lies. He had driven to San Francisco to get her ring. He called and got approval from her parents, whom he had met several years ago. He'd called an old friend from Dallas, whom he'd met while working at the Cracker Jack Boxing Plant- she had opened her own plant in Goleta and Shawn had met with her here in town to give her the ring. She was going to make Juliet a special box of Cracker Jacks with the ring inside. He'd also scored box seats for the Angels- Dodgers game in Anaheim from Sarah Hill, the coordinator of events for the stadium, whom he'd become good friends with during the summer he'd driven the Wienermobile. Bright Saturday morning he had a limo coming to take them to the game.

Gus and his dad were thrilled he was finally going to propose. Chief Vick had told him Juliet would be very impressed with all the trouble he'd went too. And Lassie, he had taken Shawn aside and told him he was glad he wouldn't have to murder him, and that he was also happy Juliet had found such a good guy.

But here it was Friday night, and things hadn't gone as planned. He and Gus had been going over the plan one more time at the office, mainly because Shawn just couldn't seem to sit still- he hated waiting. There had been a knock at the door and when Gus opened it, five officers had walked in. But it hadn't been Lassie or the Chief. No, it had been Detective Greenly and his partner Duffy, neither of whom liked Shawn. The other three men were uniforms from the precinct, the only ones Shawn had managed to tick off instead of win over. Shawn had let out a nervous chuckle upon seeing them. "Hey guys, what's up? Come to join the interdepartmental curling team?"

To no one's surprise, they hadn't laughed. "Let me tell you, it is an honor, to be the one to do this. Shawn Spencer, you're under arrest."

Shawn's laughter in response wasn't his best idea, but he hadn't been able to hold it in, "Under arrest , for what? Loitering in my own office space?"

"For several counts obstruction and hindering a police investigation," Duffy had responded smugly.

For one brief moment, Shawn's face had gone white. But he had recovered his cool quickly enough. "You've got that all wrong, boys. I don't hinder, I solve. Really, ask the Chief, my record is like 705:0. Really, I'm having a better run than the Yankees."

"Shut it, Spencer. The cat's out of the bag. Everyone knows you're a fake. And now you're going to jail."

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I would like to know who put the cat in the bag, because I'm a member of PETA, and that goes against everything we stand for."

Duffy was none to gentle when he wrenched Shawn's arm around behind his back to cuff him. "Let's go."

Shawn looked over at Gus, "Hey Buddy, if you could just call Lassie, and tell him that the reason my pranks are funny is because there's no actual physical abuse, that would be great. And maybe tell him next time to just go with the basics- black ink on my binoculars, bra in the freezer, that kind of thing."

"Shawn, I don't think this is a prank, and if Lassiter was in on this, I'm pretty sure he would have cuffed you himself."

"Then maybe you could just call him and figure out what's going on?" By this point, Duffy had marched Shawn out to the car and was forcing him into its backseat. He watched as Gus turned around to go back into the office and start making phone calls. He was stopped, however, by Greenly, who was blocking the doorway.

"I think maybe you should come too, Guster."

As Shawn was driven away in Duffy's car, he'd been able to watch Gus being put in the back of Greenly's. His mind was racing a mile a minute, trying to figure things out.

When they'd gotten to the station, Duffy had none to gently hauled him inside. Gus had been brought in while Duffy was filling out the log to get Shawn's processing begun. In the few seconds he'd seen his friend, he'd managed to say only a few words, choosing them carefully to avoid revealing anything. "Gus, pretend we're eight. This is just like the time my father tried to accuse us of eating all the Halloween candy before the trick-or-treaters could come around." The hint was clear, Shawn's advice that night to Gus had been to say nothing. Of course, Gus hadn't listened and they'd both spent the next three weeks raking the leaves of every house on the street. Hopefully, this time, Gus would follow his words.

Duffy lead him down the hall and through the bull pen, where Shawn watched Lassiter's eyes following him in confusion. He could also feel the Chief's eyes on him from behind her closed door. "Detective Duffy, what do you think you're doing?" Her voice was a welcome sound for both Shawn and Gus, who was now ahead of him, being led along by Greenly and taken out of sight toward the interrogation rooms.

"I'm taking this criminal to interrogation room 1."

"Why, might I ask?"

"We received a tip that Mr. Spencer has been guilty of several crimes."

"What kind of crimes?"

"Obstruction of justice, hindering a police investigation, to name a few. I'm sure after a few hours in the box, we'll have a few more charges to add to the list."

"Why wasn't I informed about any of this?"

"Beg your pardon, m'am, but you're too close to the situation. You have ties to the suspect's family and the tipster believed that you wouldn't be able to keep an impartial stance."

"And who exactly is this informant?"

"I am." Shawn felt like he'd had the breath kicked out of him. Jules was standing in the middle of the bull pen. She wasn't looking her best, no makeup on, eyes red, hair disheveled. But her eyes weren't on Shawn, her eyes were locked on Chief Vick's, as if daring her to disagree with Duffy's words.

"O'Hara, what the hell is going on?" When she opened her mouth to explain, the Chief thought better of it. "Never mind, Mr. Spencer, _I'll _be with you in a moment. Duffy, you are to place him in Interrogation 1 and leave him there. You are not to question him, understood. Lassiter, follow them and see that Greenly is given the same instructions for Mr. Guster. O' Hara, my office please.

Shawn tried to watch over his shoulder as the door closed behind Juliet and the shades were dropped. But too soon, he and his posse of detectives had rounded the corner and he was being ushered into interrogation. Lassiter watched from the door as Duffy placed Shawn in the chair, none too gently, and followed the man out with his eyes. "I'll be back, Spencer."

True to his word, Lassiter was back before Shawn could process much of anything. Before the head detective could say anything, Shawn spoke up, "Gus all right?"

Lassiter considered playing bad cop for all of two seconds, but the look of confusion in Spencer's eyes stopped him. "Yea, he's fine, he's across the hall."

Shawn could only nod, lost in his own head. He was trying to figure out what was going on. Why would Jules go to the two detectives on the force who harbored exactly zero happy feelings for the resident psychic. Why she hadn't gone to the Chief, who would have done this a lot more discreetly, by coming into his office instead of dragging him out of it.

Lassiter gave Shawn five minutes to process what had happened before speaking again, "What the hell did you do, Shawn?"

Hearing his first name out of Lassie's mouth caused his head to shoot up. "I…I don't know. I don't understand, Lassie. Why would Jules have Duffy arrest me?"

"She should have let me do it. I told you what I would do if you hurt her."

"Lassiter, man, I'm telling you, I didn't. I would never hurt Jules like that. I…I bought a ring, I'm supposed to propose." Shawn's voice was shaky, his words showing how lost he clearly was in all this.

Mention of the ring brought Lassiter back. He'd forgotten for a moment who he was talking to. Shawn had seemed so excited when he told Lassiter he was going to propose. And in four years, the head detective hadn't seen Shawn so much as flirt with anyone else, none of the pretty sales women, or widows, or daughters of murder victims, or women whose apartments had been robbed. He'd been dead serious when he threatened to kill Shawn if he hurt Juliet, but he'd never really been worried about having to follow through on that threat. "I know. I'm going to go find out what the hell is going on. You just stay here."

He heard Shawn's parting words as the door closed behind him, even though they were quiet, "Where am I gonna go, I'm handcuffed to the chair."

Lassiter made his way up the stairs and back toward the Chief's office. He was surprised to find her waiting outside of it for him. When he had gotten close enough that they could talk without being over heard, she spoke, "Did Shawn say anything?"

"Just that he has no idea what is going on, and something about a proposal." He watched Chief Vick's face as he revealed the information.

"That poor kid, he's been planning this proposal for ages. What could have happened between them?" Karen looked worried. She couldn't imagine something that could have changed things this drastically in so short a time, short of an affair. And if there was one thing Karen Vick was sure of, it was that Shawn was as faithful as his father had been.

"I don't know, but Spencer isn't taking this well. He seems so sad, even I feel bad for him." He was hoping a little levity would help keep the situation from getting worse.

"Well, let's get in there and get to the bottom of this." Chief walked into her office, holding the door until Lassiter had followed. She took a seat behind her desk, facing Juliet. Lassiter took his usual post leaning against the wall. "O'Hara, what is going on?"

"I'm sorry, Chief, that I did it this way, but I know how you feel about Shawn. I couldn't trust your objectivity." O'Hara's voice held a note of steel, but it also held a world of sadness. The tears were visible in her eyes, but her coworkers could clearly see she was trying hard not to let them fall.

"My objectivity, O'Hara? The man is your boyfriend. Are you so sure about your own objectivity?"

"This has nothing to do with that." O'Hara took a deep breath. "Shawn isn't a psychic, he's been faking it since day one."

Vick froze for a moment. She knew this day had been coming since the beginning. Her mind flashed back to that first case, when she had called Henry into her office.

_"Just tell me the truth, Henry, is Shawn a psychic?"_

_"Karen, we worked together for ten years. You know how I feel about psychics."_

_"Yes, Henry, I know. So are you saying Shawn's lying?"_

_Henry had paused for a moment, making a decision. "I don't know what he is, Karen. But I do know that he's good at it." He held her stare. "If Madi and I hadn't gotten divorced, he would have been on the force."_

_"You don't know that, Henry. Just because you wanted him on the force, doesn't mean he would have made it."_

_"He could beat me three out of five times on the range by age 14. And you saw what he did with this case, none of your guys wanted to keep looking. And if you think that was just a fluke, just look at what he's done." Henry pointed to the folder on her desk. "There are two dozen cases listed right there, all of them solved because of a tip he called in. If he can do all that from the outside, imagine what he can do working with you."_

_Karen saw how much this meant to her former coworker. "Henry…"_

_He leaned forward, "I taught him everything I know. He's a good detective. Does it really matter what he calls himself?"_

It hadn't mattered, it still didn't. Shawn had spent eight years solving cases with her people. He'd never failed to close one, and he often went above and beyond, making sure that the real culprit was caught. It didn't matter how unorthodox his methods were, or that he appeared to take life as one big joke, he was an invaluable part of the team. In the end, it didn't really matter if he wasn't psychic. "O'Hara, what are you saying?"

"He admitted it to me. He's been lying all along, he's not psychic. It's all just one big joke to him. It's all been a sham."

To Vick's surprise, Lassiter said nothing. He'd always suspected as much, but after eight years, he found it didn't really matter. Solving the case and getting justice was what mattered; with Shawn around that was more likely to happen.

"O'Hara, do you know what you're saying?" Karen tried to keep the fear from her voice. This could end very badly for Shawn. She didn't want that. She'd been Henry's partner all those years ago when Shawn had taken off after high school, after the divorce, after the arrest. If Shawn ended up in jail, it would destroy Henry. Just like it would destroy Gus, and though he'd never admit it, Lassiter, too, would take the detective's absence hard. And so would she. She'd become fond of Shawn, the person she could always count on for a smile, the person who never failed to close a case, one of the best babysitter's she knew, and the person responsible for securing her this desk.

But Juliet would hear none of it. She had been prepared to forgive Shawn's lie, after all there were circumstances that required it. But he'd promised not to do it again. And not twenty four hours later, he'd disappeared. And when he came back, he'd been distant. He kept getting cryptic phone calls, he seemed so jumpy and nervous, he was careful to avoid her questions. And then there was his lunch date on Tuesday, the pretty blonde woman who had seemed very comfortable when she'd thrown her arms around Shawn at the restaurant. Juliet had been running errands when she saw them together. She'd been prepared to let it go, but one of her friends from the gym, who had met Shawn, had said she saw him the next day with a pretty blonde, he had kissed her goodbye. She had followed him on Thursday; he'd met with the same blonde from earlier in the week. She had received a kiss too. Juliet's heart had broken in that moment.

So she had done the only thing she could, he'd broken her heart, so she would break his. She'd called IA in the morning, explained the situation. They had agreed to handle the case, seeing as how Shawn was technically an employee of the SBPD and that this involved both the Chief and the Head Detective. She had then given them the names of officers she knew wouldn't show Shawn any special treatment.

"I know exactly what I'm saying. Shawn Spencer is a fake and a liar and a cheat. And I'm gonna nail his ass to the wall." There was pain in her voice and steel in her eyes.

Lassiter finally spoke up, "I'll give you fake. I've suspected this psychic thing was a scam from the beginning, which also means he's a liar. But a cheat?"

O'Hara bit her tongue. She hadn't meant to let this get personal. Oh, well, it was too late now. "If you must know, Shawn's been seeing someone else."

The looks of complete shock and disbelief were mirrored on both the Chief and Lassiter. "O'Hara, there's been a mistake. Shawn's not cheating on you. He would never."

Lassiter, to her surprise, backed her. "The Chief's right, Spencer's a lot of things, but a cheater? You have proof?"

"Just what I've seen with my own eyes, and heard. I told Shawn when he revealed himself that if he lied to me again, I'd turn him in. He's getting what he deserves."

The Chief was at a loss for words. But Lassiter had seen Shawn in the interrogation room; the man had been utterly lost. He had never been Shawn's biggest fan, but in this instance, he was willing to bet everything that Juliet was wrong. "What did you see?"

Juliet squared her shoulders. If they wanted the list, she'd give it. "He took off on Monday, just disappeared for the whole day, didn't answer any of my calls. On Tuesday and Thursday, I saw him with another woman, they seemed rather well acquainted. Not to mention the dozens of phone calls that he won't take in front of me, the conversations that stop or get weird the moment I walk into a room. And I have a friend who saw him with someone on Wednesday evening; she said she saw him kiss her."

Comprehension dawned on both Lassiter and the Chief. They didn't know who this blonde was, but most of O'Hara's suspicions could be linked to the proposal. "O'Hara, I think you've made a mistake." The Chief repeated the words, they were becoming a mantra.

Before Juliet could answer, McNabb burst into the Chief's office. "Chief, Internal Affairs is here. They say they're here for Shawn." Juliet watched the horror cloud Vick's face, and she saw the blood drain from Lassiter's. Before she could say anything, both of her superiors had followed Buzz out of the room. She considered for a second, and then followed.

Shawn had been in this room more than once. He'd also been on both sides of the table. The gray walls and one way mirror were no reason to panic, not for him. But what was causing his heart to race was what could possibly be going on outside this room.

Of course, he was saved from further thoughts on external issues when the door to the room swung open. Expecting Lassie, or even the Chief, Shawn didn't know what to say when the stranger walked in. The man had cop written all over him, but he also had ass written there as well. Shawn took in his crisp grey suit, the very thick file in his hand, and the smug look on his face. When the man spoke, Shawn could practically hear the lies. "Mr. Spencer, it's so nice to finally meet you, I've heard a lot about you."

Distracted from his musings on Juliet, Shawn allowed his mind to do its work. _The file folder didn't have the SBPD crest; it had the distinct gavel and scales that signified IA. _This wasn't good. "And I've heard so much about you. Is it really true that you shot the sheriff, but not the deputy?"

His joke did not amuse the new arrival, of course, Shawn hadn't expected it to. "Mr. Spencer, this is no time for jokes. There has been a formal complaint…"

Shawn interrupted him, finishing his sentence "lodged about the lack of pineapple flavored muffins available in the break room. Yes, that was me. Has IA decided to look into it?" He watched some of the smugness drain from the man's face. He recovered.

"What are you talking about? A complaint was lodged by Det. O'Hara. She felt it was her duty to expose your lies and stop your defrauding of the department. She says you're a fake"

Shawn nodded. He had nothing to say, not until he'd spoken to Lassie, or even better Juliet. Luckily he was saved from an awkward staring contest by another entrance into the room. "Excuse me, I said no one was to come in here without my express permission."

"Sorry, Chief, but I don't answer to you."

Shawn saw the Chief reign in her temper, barely. It touched him that she cared so much. "Listen Walters, this has all been a misunderstanding. Det. O'Hara jumped to conclusions and let her emotions cloud her reasoning."

Before Shawn had a chance to say anything, the woman in question burst in, "I did no such thing." Though she refused to look at him, Shawn could not take his eyes off her.

"This is now an official IA investigation, and I would appreciate you all leaving." Walters stood and walked to the door. While he ushered both women out, Lassiter managed to slip by him and pass a small note to Shawn. Shawn quickly unfolded the piece of paper while he was alone in the room. _O'Hara says you're cheating on her, that's why she came forward. Say nothing._ Shawn refolded the note and let his eyes drift closed. The door had not closed all the way; he heard the voices from in the hall.

"There's been a mistake, Walters, this is all a misunderstanding." The Chief had a pleading quality to his voice that Shawn had never heard before.

"Mistake or not, now that there's been a complaint, I need to investigate it."

"Spencer's not an officer; he's barely even an adult. Trust me, IA doesn't want to get involved if they don't have to." Lassiter was trying for annoyed and unaffected, but Shawn could hear the underlain emotion, worry.

"Shawn has worked for the department for eight years, the only reason he's not an officer is because he's too damn stubborn to follow in Henry's footsteps." Juliet's voice was quieter than the rest, but he heard it just the same. He couldn't decipher the emotions within it.

"Regardless of his actual status, he is an employee of the department. IA is allowed to conduct investigations of anyone under the employ of the SBPD." Walters' voice had reclaimed its smug quality.

Lassiter did some quick thinking; Shawn could practically hear the wheels turning in his head. "Fine, but let me question him first." Shawn could imagine the looks of protest on both Juliet's and Walters' faces. "You don't know Spencer. He's a pain in the ass who takes pride in driving people crazy. If you go in there, he'll do nothing but drive you in circles. Let me break him, then you can come in and get the answers."

Shawn had heard the lie in Lassie's voice; he didn't need to see his face. Luckily, the part he was lying about was the part Walters' wasn't listening to. Shawn did in fact take quite a lot of pride in driving _certain_ people crazy. Lassiter had been in an interrogation room with Shawn half a dozen times. He'd threatened Shawn with bodily violence at least once before the end of each. That was not counting the daily abuse Shawn had once bestowed on Lassie, which he had toned down in recent years but that he still enjoyed every now and then. And he did know how to drive an interrogation in circles. Last year, he'd managed to make his interrogator confess to a crime. The part Lassie was lying about was breaking him; they both knew it couldn't be done. Lassie wanted in so that he could prove Shawn's innocence to Juliet.

To his surprise, the next voice that spoke up was not the Chief's but Juliet's, "Walters, he's right about that. You heard about the FBI agent who admitted to being the Southside Strangler? That was Shawn. Lassiter's the only person I've ever seen make it through an interrogation looking somewhat dignified." For one brief moment, Shawn had hope. Then, "he's our only chance of getting anywhere."

Shawn managed to keep the pain from his face. He composed himself and prepared for Lassie as the door began to open. Lassiter wasn't as quick. Shawn saw the determination and the slight hint of relief on his face before he put on his best 'bad cop' face. "Alright, Spencer, it seems someone's finally got proof to back up what I've been saying all these years."

Shawn knew what his role was. He slipped into it with ease. "That it really does take three licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?" He smirked. He saw Lassiter's mouth twitch the slightest bit. He was impressed with the detective. Over the many years together, he'd managed to make him laugh a few times. He had been saving that line for awhile, knowing it would get Lassiter.

But that slight twitch was all he gave. Then he was all business. "You know Spencer, you're in a lot of trouble. IA has a witness that says you're not psychic. Do you know what that means?"Shawn opened his mouth to insert that it meant Big Foot was mad at him for stealing his TV Guide, but Lassiter continued before he could get the words out. "It means you're facing jail, lots of it." The smile that spread across Lassiter's face was only half fake, Shawn could tell.

"Don't be a tuna fish with a foot fetish, Lassie. You know what I am, and I think that my record speaks for itself." Shawn was vague on purpose. He'd told Juliet he wouldn't lie to her, and he knew she was watching. He just hoped Lassiter wouldn't come out and ask the question straight.

But it seemed like Lassiter was on the same wavelength. "Alright, Spencer, let's just start with some questions. Who did you have lunch with on Tuesday?"

And with that one question everything clicked for Shawn. Juliet had interpreted all his odd behavior this week and drawn the wrong conclusion. She must have seen him at lunch, which just added to her suspicions. His eyes shot to the right side of the one way mirror, where he knew Jules was standing. When he answered, his eyes stayed locked on hers, even though he couldn't see them. "Her name is Lauren Santiago. I met her about fifteen years ago in Texas, when I was on my road trip. We worked together. She moved up here a few years ago and opened a factory in Goleta. I asked her for a favor."

Lassiter wrote down the name, taking a moment to allow Shawn to elaborate. When nothing more was forthcoming, he asked his next question, "And where were you on Monday?"

"I drove to LA to pick up a gift for a friend."

Lassiter looked from Shawn to the point he was staring at. He was answering his question, but he was talking to Juliet. Lassiter had hoped Shawn would keep up the 'devil may care' attitude but maybe convincing her would be enough. Lassiter gave Shawn a few seconds to further explain, but he said nothing more. He continued with O'Hara's next suspicion. "And Wednesday, who'd you go out with?"

Shawn shot a confused look at Lassiter, "Are you stalking me, Lassie? If you wanted to have a drink, all you had to do was ask. Though I should tell you, I'm spoken for." He'd read the hint in Lassie's voice, despite the gross error that was going on here, he still had a role to play.

Lassiter growled his response out, "Answer the question, Spencer."

"Her name is Sarah Hill. She works at Angels' Stadium. She had a few extra tickets to tomorrow night's game and she knows how much my girlfriend likes baseball." His eyes went back to Juliet, or the mirror in front of her.

"On Thursday, you met with the blonde again, Santiago you said her name was. Why?"

Shawn looked to Lassiter again. What did the man want, Shawn to ruin the surprise? "The favor I asked, she did it. She wanted to give me what I'd asked for."

"What did you ask for?" The order was clear in Lassiter's voice. _Say you were planning a proposal._

Shawn abandoned his staring contest with Juliet in favor of staring at Lassiter. "I asked for the prime rib, medium well." Exasperation colored his tone.

Lassiter responded with one word, but it was enough, "Shawn." There was a warning in that word. He was telling Shawn to tell Juliet what he'd been planning. He was telling Shawn to let the romantic dream proposal go and settle for not going to jail.

Shawn's response was one word, the rejection of Lassie's request clear in his stubborn tone, "Carlton."

"Damn it, Spencer." Lassiter's irritation was back. Before he could say another word, the intercom came on.

"What did you ask for, Shawn." Both men's heads shot up at the sound of Juliet's voice. Carlton was shocked at the interruption. Shawn was caught by the hint of hope.

"I asked for a box of Cracker Jacks." It was the truth, that was exactly what he'd asked Lauren for. But it didn't occur to him just how ridiculous that sounded until Juliet's curse came through.

"Damn it, Shawn. I knew it. You promised you'd never lie. I was an idiot to trust you."

Shawn realized his mistake and his opening. He moved to the mirror, forgetting momentarily that he was still chained to his spot. That jerk from the handcuffs stopped him momentarily, but he ignored the pain and turned toward the mirror again. "I'm not lying, Jules. I swear. Lauren owns the Goleta Cracker Jack boxing facility. I asked her for a box. It's in the office. I'll take you to it." Shawn looked to Lassiter. He hadn't told anyone exactly how he was planning to propose except for Gus, though the Chief did know it was going down this weekend.

It was Chief Vick who came to his rescue, "Listen to him, O'Hara."

Juliet did not respond verbally. The next thing he knew though, Lassie was coming around the table to unsecure the chain. He leaned in and whispered, "Why didn't you just tell her about the ring?"

Shawn rolled his eyes. Lassie had been watching his theatrics for eight years, surely he knew better than that. "Because I haven't worked this hard on something since I designed the layout of the tropical themed Putt Putt course outside of Phoenix, complete with pineapple castle. I'm not about to let all my work go to waste."

Lassiter rolled his eyes this time. "Let's go." They had just left the interrogation room when Walters stepped forward.

"He'll be riding with me. I don't know what this little goose chase is all about, but there's no way I'm letting him out of my sight." Lassiter wanted to argue, but the smirk on Shawn's face stopped him. For some reason, Shawn wanted to go with the IA officer. Lassiter released the psychic and allowed Walters to take over. He didn't miss the grunt of pain that came from Spencer when Walters none too gently wrenched Shawn's arms, pushing him forward.

Lassiter moved to follow, but caught sight of his partner out of the corner of his eye. Knowing Spencer could handle himself, at least with an IA officer only driving a few blocks, he turned to her. Before he could say anything, she did, "Carlton, I'm not going."

Lassiter again resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He was at the end of his rope. "Go get in the damn car, O'Hara." To his surprise, she didn't argue. She simply turned and strode away. Lassiter turned back to the chief. "When she takes back her statement, IA's not gonna just let this disappear. They'll continue to pursue this."

Karen looked to where Shawn was last seen being hauled out of the station. "We've been working with Mr. Spencer for eight years now. He hasn't let me down yet. Now go." She gestured with her hand in the same general direction, indicating Lassiter should follow.

Lassiter didn't bother to argue. He turned toward the exit and followed after his partner. When he walked outside, he saw his partner waiting on her side of the car. He clicked the car open and the two slid into their seats.

Several minutes ahead, in the back of Walters' car, Shawn was wasting no time. From his vantage point in the backseat, Shawn craned his neck to see into the front seat. A quick glance and he knew everything he needed. Sticking out of Walters' briefcase was a file, inside were emancipation papers for his son. Stuck in the dash was the business card for a local divorce attorney. But in the ash tray was the _p__ièce de résistance. _Sitting in plain sight was a tube of coral lipstick and a matchbook from the Birdcage, a club two towns over that catered to transvestites. Shawn and Gus had helped the owner a few years back with a vandalism problem that ended up being his ex-girlfriend. They happened to make the best Ginger Ville this side of Romania as well.

Back in Lassiter's car, the Head Detective was trying to talk O'Hara down from her current predicament. He knew that in about fifteen minutes, she was going to hate herself. He didn't want that. He also knew that in that same fifteen minutes, Shawn would show her the engagement ring. He knew how much she wanted the whole big romantic proposal thing, so he'd be damned if he was going to let her muck it all up. "O'Hara, answer me something."

She looked over to her partner. "What, Carlton?"

"If Spencer hadn't been acting weird this week, the phone calls, the disappearing act, the lunch meetings, would you have still turned him in?" Lassiter kept his eyes on the road, hoping his partner would answer honestly.

She was silent for a moment, even though she knew the answer. "You mean if he had acted the same way as before I knew the truth, would I have come forward and revealed he was a fraud?" She watched Lassiter nod. She caved, "No, I wouldn't have. In eight years, I've gotten to know Shawn, I never would have thought him capable of lying, not like this. But after telling me that the very foundation of our connection is a complete fabrication, I'm not sure what to believe anymore. If he could lie to me for eight years about being psychic, he could have easily lied about having an affair."

Lassiter wasn't ready to give up. "Look, O'Hara, we both know I'm not Spencer's biggest fan. I'm usually the first one to call him out on things. And in my time, I've called him a lot of things, liar, fake, moron; I even called him a thief once. But I never would have pegged him as a cheater."

"That doesn't mean he isn't" There was a mixture of warning and betrayal in her tone.

Lassiter ignored it, "and a few suspicious phone calls and lunch dates don't mean he is." Lassiter let it fall for a second. He turned his attention to the question that had been plaguing him for eight years instead. "Let's say _hypothetically_, he did tell you he was faking. How would he explain everything he's done over the last eight years, _hypothetically_." He stressed the word, wanting O'Hara to understand what revealing Spencer would mean

She seemed to get the hint. "Maybe it was something he was bred to do." Lassiter threw her a look that begged for more explanation. "Henry has been turning him into a cop his entire life. He's been teaching him all the tricks of the trade, things like reading guilt in an interview, knowing what to look for at a crime scene, everything a cop learns at the academy."

"If it was just normal cop stuff, then how do you explain his track record, the cases he's solved that we couldn't?" Lassiter needed there to be something more. Spencer couldn't _just _be a better detective.

"He's also got a photographic memory. Combine that with his penchant to ignore the rules and do things his own way, it all makes sense."

Lassiter thought for a moment. Could it really be possible that Shawn was _that_ good. He thought back to that first day in the interrogation room. _Believable as it is that you solved all these crimes what is it, watching the local channel 8 news…so you're telling us you can read guilt off of TV interviews?_ "Damn, I guess it's a good thing he can't follow the rules, otherwise I'd be out of a job."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Juliet's head swiveled around to her partner.

"His solve rate is immaculate, O'Hara."

"There's more to being a cop than that."

"Yea, but Spencer's got it. He knows what to look for, he knows how to get under someone's skin, he sees what everyone else misses. Add to that his surprising marksmanship, and you've got the making of a stellar officer. If it weren't for his tendency to act like a child and ignore direct orders, he could have been chief by now." Surprisingly, Lassiter's voice held no bitterness. He'd accepted Spencer's skills. The first time he'd seen him on the range, just after he and O'Hara had started dating-when Lassiter had taken it upon himself to threaten the psychic on behalf of his partner- he'd gained new respect for the man. When he'd outshot Lassiter, he'd realized there was more to Shawn than met the eye.

O'Hara had nothing to say to that. Luckily, she didn't need to say anything, for they'd just pulled into the Psych parking lot. Before she could get out of the car, Lassiter put a hand on her arm. "Juliet, please, reconsider this."

Juliet's only answer was to exit the vehicle. As the two officers approached the door to the Psych office, they saw Walters push Shawn up against the wall of the office building. They picked up their step. "What's going on here?"

"Mr. Spencer's being difficult. He won't tell me where the keys to the office are."

Shawn, never one to keep his mouth closed, spoke up, "I was not being difficult." Shawn out a small grunt as Walters pushed him against the wall again. "Oww, I wasn't. If you remember correctly, I was dragged out of here in handcuffs. I'm clearly not the one who locked the door. My partner, however, is anal about the locks, so you can thank him."

"Where are the keys, Spencer?" Walters' repeated his question, pushing Shawn further into the wall next to the door.

Shawn's response was slightly muffled, "Mine? They're in the top drawer of my desk. You're buddy Duffy didn't exactly give me a chance to pack an overnight bag.

Applying more pressure, Walters leaned in to Shawn's ear, "Then how are we supposed to get in?"

Shawn threw a glance behind him, trying to catch Juliet's eye; Lassiter, too, looked to the blonde. Seeing the grimace of pain still on Shawn's face, Juliet moved forward, "Let him go. I have a key, I'll open it. Relax, Walters."

Walters let up the pressure on Shawn. He turned around to throw a questioning glare at Juliet. "You have a key?"

Carlton spoke up, "Yeah, she does. I guess she forgot to mention that she and Spencer are dating, have been for four years now. Or that she's mad at him right now because she thinks he's cheating on her." From the glare that both Juliet and Walters threw him, he figured he was right.

Seeing the expectant look that Detective Lassiter was giving him, Walters pulled away from the wall, allowing Shawn to stand straight again. "That doesn't change anything. A tip is a tip."

Juliet opened the door and stepped through, turning on the light and turning around in time to see Walters push Shawn, a little too roughly, into his own office. Shawn stumbled, and O'Hara moved forward instinctively to catch him. He managed to right himself on his own, and she aborted her move. He continued walking and led the three officers into the main office, stopping between his and Gus's desks. "Go ahead, Jules, the bottom drawer on the right, you'll find the Cracker Jacks."

Walters beat her to the punch. Before she could even step forward, he was pulling the drawer open. "Why on God's green earth would you need to get a box of these direct from the owner of the plant? There are at least 2 dozen carriers within a mile radius of this building."

Shawn rolled his eyes. What, did everyone want him to just blurt out his proposal? "These are special. Lauren had it made specifically for me." He turned his attention to Jules. "Go ahead, open it Jules." Juliet stepped forward to take the box, but Walters held it away.

"Wait a minute, why do you want us to open this so bad? What's in here?"

Shawn was really starting to dislike this man. "A delicious mix of caramel corn and salty peanuts plus a little toy surprise." When both O'Hara and Walters had turned to examine the box, Shawn caught Lassie's eye. _The ring, _he mouthed.

A look of confusion crossed Lassiter's face, i_n the box?_

Finally getting through, Shawn nodded his head emphatically. Seeing that Walters was about to open the box, Lassiter stepped forward and grabbed it. He pushed his finger into the designated spot and ripped the top off. He poured the contents of the box onto Shawn's desk top, which was empty for the first time in years, thanks to all his nervous energy. While all three officers were leaning over the desk, Shawn backed up to his drawing board and pulled the sheet off it. He then kneeled down in front. There were only three words written on the board.

Lassiter was the one to pick up the prize. He looked up to see Shawn in position. For a second, Lassiter froze. The only thought he had was that Shawn must be psychic, otherwise how could he have had this planned? He'd had no way to know that O'Hara would turn him in, or that he'd get arrested, or that the three, well four, of them would end up here. He wanted to demand answers, instead he let the man have his moment. He reached out and dropped the red and white striped box in his partner's hand. "I think this is for you."

Juliet looked down at it, confusion on her face. Lassiter nodded his head, indicating she should turn around. The confusion mounting, she did just that. There was Shawn, hands still cuffed behind his back, down on one knee. Written on the board usually reserved for clues and cases were the words _Marry me Jules? _Juliet looked from her boyfriend to the small package in her hand. She swallowed and carefully picked it up with her other hand. Tearing off the seal, she tilted the box, and out came a beautiful diamond engagement ring. Her eyes immediately went to Shawn's, searching for an explanation.

"'In Your Eyes' is supposed to be playing right now, but your officer's decided last minute to arrest my DJ as well. What do you say, Jules? Make me an honest man?" There was nothing but hope in Shawn's voice and love in his eyes.

For a second, Juliet O'Hara was speechless. Then she moved forward and threw her arms around Shawn, knocking him off balance. "I'll take that as a yes?"

"Of course, Shawn, yes. I'm so sorry." She leaned in and kissed him. She had been such an idiot to doubt Shawn. When she realized that Shawn's hands were still cuffed behind his back she turned to her partner, "Carlton, do you think you could uncuff my fiancé?"

Carlton shook his head, unable to keep the smile off his face, and stepped forward to oblige. But Walters held his hand out. "Freeze, Detective. I don't know what all this was, but that man is still under arrest."

Juliet pulled herself off of Shawn and stood, reaching down to help him do the same. When both of them were on their feet again, she spoke, "Listen Walters, I was mad at Shawn before. I thought that…it doesn't matter what I thought. I just wanted to get back at him for hurting me. I should have never come to you." Juliet felt like an idiot. Shawn had promised her. The chief had warned her. Even Lassiter had tried to get her to see things clearly. But she'd been so upset about what she thought she knew, she hadn't stopped to really hear.

"It's not that simple, Detective. Claims have been laid that Shawn Spencer is not a psychic, and I will investigate them."

Lassiter spoke up then, "The guy planned this whole thing out, knowing he'd get arrested and be able to bring O'Hara back here. How could he have done that if he wasn't psychic?" It was true. Lassiter could not figure out how in the world Spencer had figured all this out. There was no way he could have known he'd get arrested, because not even the chief had known, so it's not like he could have been tipped off by her. He'd had the ring and the message in place, he must have known how things would turn out this evening.

"I don't care. He's coming back to the station, and this time, _I'm _going to be the one asking questions." Walters took a step toward Shawn.

But before he could lay a hand on the psychic, Shawn gave a violent spasm. He also let out a terrible squawk. And then, "Wait, wait, I'm getting something. Ca-Caw, Ca-Caw; You, Walters, it's coming from you. Your wife is trying to fly the coop, she wants a divorce."

"That's common knowledge, Mr. Spencer, hardly a psychic deduction." Walters rolled his eyes.

Shawn continued. "Cheep, cheep, cheep; it looks like your little chick is all ready to leave the nest as well." Shawn saw surprise pass over the man's face. He pushed on, beginning to flap his arms like a bird, even though they were still cuffed behind his back. "But you're not terribly broken up about it, are you? Because to you, this marriage felt like a cage, a _birdcage_," Shawn emphasized the last word hoping to show Walters he knew all about his secret life. When Walters said nothing, Shawn raised his eyebrows, "Should I tell the nice detectives what else the little _birdies_ told me?"

That question had Walters stepping back. "No, no, not necessary, I'll go. I think you've proven yourself quite well, I'll make sure to say so in my report. Never you fear." Walters stumbled over his words as he backed out of the room, running into the doorjamb on his way.

Shawn, Jules, and Lassiter all watched the IA officer beat a hasty retreat, Shawn with a smile on his face. Lassiter turned to the other man, "Spencer, what the hell was that?"

Once again the center of attention, Shawn let out a low chuckle. "That, Lassie, was me hitting a curve ball out of the park, even though I was expecting a fast one."

O'Hara, who was a little more up on sports' analogies, turned to Shawn, "Wait a minute, expecting?"

"Come on, Jules, I knew you were going to tell someone. You're way too honest not to." There was nothing but admiration in his voice. Instead of being hurt that he would suggest such a thing, she was touched that he thought of her that way.

"So you were planning on getting arrested?" Lassiter was having trouble keeping up. Shawn's confusion in the interrogation room had seemed so sincere.

Shawn looked over to the man who was both friend and the man he loved to torment most, "Not exactly."

Lassiter narrowed his eyes, "What does that mean?"

Shawn explained, "I was counting on the Chief bringing you two by for a more informal questioning and a demonstration of my skill. I wasn't counting on Gus being taken in for questioning or the cuffs. Want to help me out, Lassie?" He turned around, exposing his hands, which were still cuffed. He waited for Lassiter to step forward and remove them. When he had, Shawn turned back around, rubbing his wrists, "Thanks, man." But both detectives were staring at him as if he had grown a second head.

Juliet's question was simple, "The Chief?"

Lassiter's was more direct. "Karen was in on it?"

Shawn rolled his eyes. Of course she was in on it, Lassiter thought to himself. He thought over her words earlier in the evening, 'there's been a mistake,' no 'he's innocent' or 'let him go,' just 'it's a mistake.' And then her statement that Shawn hadn't let her down yet. She'd been counting on him finding a way to save himself.

Juliet beat him to the next question, "How long has she known?"

Shawn winced, still rubbing his wrists, "I don't actually know. But I'm willing to bet my rather impressive pog collection that she's known since the beginning or pretty close to it." If Shawn hadn't been enjoying himself so much in the early years of Psych, he probably would have caught on sooner. Her rolled eyes at his over the top theatrics ('Can't he ever just tell us to arrest someone'), her dismissal of his small slip-ups, like when he indicated the answer was in the secretary's signature. She'd let him slide on ignoring direct orders, like when he showed up at crime scenes he was expressly forbidden from, she even listened to a lot of his more farfetched evidence, even if she put up a skeptical front. She'd even alluded to his skills ('you can read guilt just by talking to someone, can't you?') and she had come to him to find a babysitter, not because he was psychic, but because she trusted his skill. There were also the times when she had ignored his inability to come up with a lead, or produced only a ridiculous one (the dinosaur case came to mind).

When he had gone to her to reveal his plans for this week, finally revealing the truth, she'd given him a small smile. _It's about time, Mr. Spencer. I was beginning to think you were going to keep up this charade forever._ He'd danced around the issue of course, before telling her, just to make sure she wouldn't arrest him. But she had been happy to hear him admit the truth, and had assured him that he would remain on her speed dial, as long as he wanted to be there. He hadn't asked how long she'd known, it didn't matter. It wasn't till later that night when he sat down to think about it all that all the clues had fallen into place. He'd laughed out loud seeing it all.

Juliet's voice caught his attention, "What makes you think that?" She was struggling to put two and two together.

"Come on, Jules. Can you imagine my father sitting in Chief Vick's office and admitting that his son is a psychic, especially back then?"

Both detectives nodded, Shawn had a point. Over the years they'd noticed the strange way Shawn and Henry interacted. Henry had openly scoffed at his son's antics and more than once, Henry had provided the solution to a case before Shawn could reveal it. Not to mention the small moments when they thought no one was paying attention, Henry's whispered 'close your eyes,' followed by Shawn's reluctant compliance. Henry disapproved of his son's methods, but not of his job.

"So you had this whole thing planned out?" Lassiter couldn't help the disbelief in his voice.

"More or less, you know? Jules was supposed to go to the Chief with my confession, who was in turn supposed to give me a chance to prove myself again. When you guys showed up, I was going to act all defensive and tell you I could predict the prize in my box of Cracker Jacks. Then when Jules opened it to see if I was right, queue the music, drop to one knee, and viola!"

Juliet seemed at a loss for words. "I don't understand. If you knew I would turn you in, why tell me."

Some of the playfulness left Shawn's voice when he answered, "I meant what I said, Jules. I hated lying to you. If the price of my honesty was losing Psych, then it was worth it."

She was touched by his words. She knew how much his job had come to mean to Shawn. Henry had once sat her down and let her look through the collection of postcards Shawn had sent him, detailing his various jobs. And Gus had once let her see Shawn's resume, all 15 pages of it. For someone, like Shawn, who had spent a decade dabbling in a little bit of everything, never doing the same thing for more than 6 months, the fact that he'd been at Psych for 8 years now was astounding. She knew that he stayed because he loved it, in a way he'd never felt about any of his other jobs.

"So O'Hara was telling the truth. You're not a psychic, you really are just that good?" Despite the years he'd spent protesting Shawn's claim, and his eventual acceptance of his skill, Lassiter was not ready to just accept that it had been all him. At least when he claimed to be psychic, Lassiter could take some small comfort in saying it was 'the spirits' who were doing all the work, even if he knew it was a lie.

Shawn saw just a hint of disappointment on Lassie's face. He smirked. "Don't be ridiculous, Lassie. Everyone knows psychics aren't real. Next thing you're gonna tell me you believe in Santa Clause." Shawn's smile only grew when Lassie face changed to his typical stern mask, the one that usually accompanied Shawn's mocking.

Juliet couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her mouth. She stepped up next to Shawn and wrapped her arms around him. "Maybe we should go back to the station and spring Gus."

"That's probably a good idea, he's going to be pissed he missed this." Lassiter nodded and both he and Juliet followed Shawn out the door. The drive to the station passed in relative silence. Juliet was feeling guilty for turning Shawn in and almost ruining his proposal. Lassiter was going through every case Shawn had solved over the last eight years in his head, becoming more and more impressed as he reevaluated them all. There had been times when Shawn had provided a solution at the crime scene and then turned up being right, and there had been times when he had refused to give up, even though everything seemed to be solved. These weren't necessarily impressive things when you were a psychic, but when you were relying purely on observatory skill, it was astounding.

For his part, Shawn was considering the future. How would things change now that the detectives and the chief knew he wasn't psychic? The chief had told him he could remain a consultant. But things certainly wouldn't be the same.

When they arrived at the station, all three exited the car and climbed the stairs. They were about to make their way to the interrogation room when Chief Vick stuck her head out of the door, "Mr. Spencer, detectives, join me, won't you?"

They followed the Chief into her office only to find Gus already seated. Shawn smiled to his best friend. "Hey, buddy, I was just coming to spring you."

"I bet." He cast a quick glance over Shawn's shoulder to where Juliet was standing. "How'd it go?"

The smile that spread across Shawn's face was enough of an answer for his best friend. Gus stood up and grabbed Shawn in a hug, "Congratulations, Man." He then moved to Juliet, "Congratulations, Jules. I'm glad you said yes, I was afraid you'd turn him down and I was going to have to listen to him mope for months." They shared a smile.

While Gus was congratulating Juliet, the Chief moved toward Shawn, "Everything okay, Mr. Spencer?"

Shawn knew she was referring to Walters, "Taken care of, Chief." They both knew it was better for everyone else to continue thinking he was a psychic. It was an easier explanation than anything else.

The Chief smiled, "Well in that case, Congratulations, Shawn." She leaned forward and gave him a hug, which he returned.

Shawn stepped back from the Chief and looked toward Juliet, "We should probably go see my dad, introduce him to his future daughter-in-law." Juliet smiled at the excitement in Shawn's voice. "Chief, Lassie, care to join us?"

They both knew declining was not an option, not that either had planned on doing it. Karen wanted to see Henry's reaction. And Lassiter wanted to pick Henry's brain about Shawn's 'abilities.'

"Wait a minute, what happened with Walters? He seemed pretty gung ho about charging you." Gus looked toward his best friend.

Shawn offered a small shrug, "Let's just say I'm not the only one with a secret. When I revealed I knew his, he was much less keen on ferreting mine out."

Gus nodded. Somehow he wasn't surprised. His friend had a knack for getting out of trouble. He was fairly certain Shawn would be able to talk himself out of hell, if the situation ever arose. "Figures; you could have been a politician with that mouth of yours."

Shawn threw Gus his best 'Vote for me' smile, "Never fear, Gus, there's still time." Gus was not alone in his eye role. Lassiter led the way out of the Chief's office and headed toward the door. Juliet and the Chief followed next, oohing and ahhing at Juliet's ring. Shawn looked over at Gus, "You alright, man?"

Gus shrugged, "All they did was put me in the room. Lassie stopped them from talking to me. After you all left, the Chief came down to get me. She seemed pretty certain you'd be walking back through that door of your own free will. What did you have on Walters?"

It was Shawn's turn to shrug. "Remember when I introduced you to Starina?" Gus nodded. "Let's just say that Walters doesn't need me to make that introduction." He watched in satisfaction as Gus's mouth dropped.

"No way, Shawn," Gus followed as his friend left the chief's office, walking out of the station to catch up to Juliet. Because neither Shawn nor Gus had transportation at the station, they would ride with Jules. The Chief was already in Lassiter's car. Shawn slid effortlessly behind the wheel of Jules Bug. Jules happily took the passenger seat so that she could tell Gus what had happened after Shawn had been taken from the office. Both men in the car listened as Juliet recapped the story, Gus to hear the details, Shawn to hear Jules' excitement.

They pulled up at his father's place just behind Lassie and the Chief. All five of them exited their vehicles, making their way toward Henry's door, but it was opened before they got up the steps. Henry stood in the doorway, leaning against the doorjamb. The light spilled out from behind him, washing his late night visitors in a muted light. A single look at the smile on his son's face told him that Shawn had finally gotten up the nerve to pop the question. Henry knew it had been on his son's mind for awhile, and was proud that he had managed to find such a great woman. Still, he kept his mouth shut, for once not wanting to ruin his son's 'moment'.

"Hey Dad, fancy seeing you here," Shawn's smile grew. He could see the glint in his father's eye. Henry knew exactly why he was here, it was written all over his face, in his smug smirk and his glinting eyes.

A small chuckle escaped Henry, "Well, it is my house, kid." He stepped aside, pulling the screen door open and ushering the three police officers and his two sons into his living room. Shawn was the last to pass and as he walked by, Henry reached out and put a hand on his shoulder, offering a small squeeze. The two Spencer men entered the house just as Gus reappeared from the kitchen, Lassiter with him holding glasses for the bottle in Gus' hand.

In keeping with his determination to give Shawn his moment, Henry played dumb. "What's with the bubbly? Are we celebrating something?" He quirked an eyebrow at his son, then looked back at Gus.

Shawn couldn't hold the laugh in at his father's attempts to play dumb. He threw his arm around his father's shoulder and leaned in closer, "Actually Dad, we are celebrating something. Earlier tonight, I did something I've been trying to do my whole life." Confusion clouded not only Henry's face, but the faces of the three officers as well. Only Gus had any idea what Shawn was talking about, one of the benefits of knowing the snarky sleuth from days in the sandbox.

Not sure what Shawn was getting at, Henry played along, "And what's that, Shawn?"

Shawn's smile grew. "I've finally proven you wrong." He gave his father a second before continuing. "Do you remember when Linda Smelting gave me a black eye, and you said I'd never find a girl to marry me? Well, not only did I find her, but she's smoking hot and a kick ass cop."

Henry laughed. He couldn't help it. He remembered the encounter Shawn was talking about and the joy in his son's eyes put him over the moon. He slipped out of his son's embrace and walked over to his soon to be daughter-in-law. He opened his arms and gave her a tight squeeze, whispering where only she could hear, "Never thought I'd be so happy to be proven wrong." When he pulled back, he could see tears glistening in Juliet's eyes. Still with one arm around her, he turned to Gus, "What are you waiting for, Gus? Let's celebrate."

Gus wasted no time in popping open the champagne and pouring the amber liquid. Lassiter passed out the glasses. Once everyone had a glass, Gus raised his, "To my future sister, I was four when I met Shawn. I never had a chance to escape his hijinks. But you willingly chose him. And for that I am grateful. And to my best friend, I never thought the day would come when I was standing next to you at the altar. And I never thought you'd find a girl who could put up with all your shenanigans. But I could not be happier for you. Congratulations you two," Gus' words were met with a chorus of congrats and the clink of glasses.

The toast made, the six adults continued their celebration for awhile. They were all relieved to finally have everything out in the open and thrilled at the prospect of the coming wedding. As the second bottle of champagne was nearing its finish, it was the Chief who spoke up, "So O'Hara, have anything in mind for the big day yet?"

Juliet opened her mouth to reply, but before she could get the words out, Shawn leaned forward and placed his glass on the coffee table. In true psychic fashion, his hand went to his temple and he got a far off look in his eyes. "I'm seeing a John Hughes theme. Jules, you're in that adorable pink number that Andie pulls off so well. The whole thing is going down in the Shermer High School Library. At the reception, we're dancing to "If You Were Here." And instead of some silly wedding cake, it's a five tiered pineapple upside down cake."

Juliet turned to her future husband and gave him a skeptical eye, "Oh, really? You saw all that?"

Shawn got that knowing smile and turned to his bride to be. "Of course, I did, Jules. After all, I am a psych…" But before he can finish his sentence, she upended her champagne glass over his head, to the intense amusement of everyone else present. Shawn sputtered for a moment, totally caught off guard by her maneuver. He licked his lips and passed his hand quickly over his face. He nodded his head several times, "Fair enough." He then joined in the laughter. He didn't really care what the wedding was like, so long as it happened. "But that cake is a deal breaker."

Juliet smirked, leaning in to Shawn. "If you want pineapple upside down cake, that's what we'll have." And with that she kissed him. It had taken a long time to get there, but she had loved every minute of her crazy ride with Shawn Spencer.


End file.
